Do You Really Need a Gait Analysis? What Running Stores Can (and Can't) Tell You

Spend any time in running groups on Facebook and you'll see it over and over. Someone asks which shoes to buy, and the first reply is "Go get a gait analysis." What they almost always mean is: go to a running store, let them watch you jog, and buy what they recommend.

I get why people say it. And I've had great experiences at running stores. But a few seconds of jogging in the back of a store isn't a gait analysis, and treating it like one can steer you wrong.

I learned that the hard way. I've worn size 14 shoes since I was 13 years old, sometimes even a size 15. In 2025, a salesperson measured my foot, told me I was really a 13, and said I'd only been wearing 14s for the width. He put me in a pair of 13 wides. I ran the 2025 Dam to DSM Half Marathon in them. I actually ran a great time, but it was miserable, and I finished with giant blisters on my toes. The first thing I did after crossing the finish line and getting my medal was take those shoes off.

So let's talk about what a running store can actually tell you, what a real gait analysis is, and how to pick shoes that work for your feet.

What a Running Store "Gait Analysis" Actually Is

Every running store I've been to does some version of the same thing. You try on a few pairs, walk around, and then jog in a small area in the back of the store while an employee watches. Some stores use a treadmill and a camera. None of the stores I've been to did. They just watched.

That quick look can be useful. A good employee can spot obvious things, like a foot that rolls in a lot, a shoe that slips at the heel, or a shoe that's clearly too small. It can help narrow a wall of 60 shoes down to a few worth trying.

But it has real limits:

• It's only a few seconds. You're fresh, you're not at your normal pace, and you're probably thinking about how you're running because someone's watching you.
• It's not how you actually run. How you run on mile 1 of an easy run looks different from mile 11 of a long run or the last rep of a hard workout. Fatigue changes your form.
• It's done by someone selling shoes. That doesn't make them dishonest. Most running store employees genuinely want to help. But they're not clinicians, and their job is to match you with something on the wall.

Running stores are a great resource for trying shoes on. Just don't confuse a fitting with an analysis.

What a Real Gait Analysis Is (and Who Needs One)

A clinical running gait assessment is much more involved than watching someone jog for a few seconds. It's often performed by a physical therapist who specializes in runners, a sports medicine professional, or a biomechanics specialist. The exact process varies, but it typically looks at several things:

• How you actually run, often with slow-motion video from more than one angle, at the paces you really train at
• A strength and mobility assessment, because weak hips or tight ankles often explain what shows up when you run
• Your injury and training history, because the same stride can be fine for one runner and a problem for another
• In some settings, like a biomechanics lab, 3D motion capture or force measurements

You don't need a lab or expensive equipment for a legitimate assessment. A good physical therapist can learn a lot with a phone camera, a treadmill or hallway, and a thorough exam.

The goal isn't to sell you a shoe. It's to figure out why something hurts, or what's likely to cause problems, and how to fix it. The fix is often strength work, form changes, or training changes, not a different shoe.

Who actually needs one: runners with recurring injuries, pain that won't go away, or runners coming back from an injury who want to avoid a repeat. If you're healthy and just need new shoes, you probably don't need one at all.

Two of my own injuries show why. In 2010, during my first marathon training block, I ran every run at my goal pace and ended up with tendinitis that ended my season. That had nothing to do with my shoes. It was a training problem, and no shoe store fitting would have caught it. Running most of your miles easy, which I cover in why every run should not feel the same, would have.

And in the summer of 2025, I pulled my groin during a workout. After urgent care, I saw a sports medicine doctor and a physical therapist. The PT focused on how I was moving and what needed to get stronger, not on my shoes. Around the same time, my son showed me a video he took of me at the end of a half marathon. It showed my stride getting so long that I looked like I was running in slow motion. That one video taught me more about my running form than any store visit ever has. I wrote about what I learned in heel striking and overstriding.

Can You Analyze Your Own Running Form With a Phone Video?

To a point, yes. A phone video can help you spot obvious things, like overstriding, a heavy heel strike way out in front of your body, arms crossing your chest, or form that falls apart late in a run. That's exactly what my son's video showed me.

A few tips to get a useful video:

• Film from the side and from behind. The side shows your stride and where your foot lands. Behind shows what your hips and knees are doing.
• Use slow motion. Most phones can shoot slow-motion video, and a normal-speed video moves too fast to see much.
• Film at different points in a run. Your form in the first mile and the last mile can look very different. Late in a race or a hard workout is often the most revealing.
• Run at your normal pace, not the way you think you should look on camera.

A video isn't a substitute for a clinical assessment, though. It can show you what's happening, but not why, and it won't tell you whether something is actually a problem for you. If a video shows something that worries you, or you're dealing with pain, take it to a physical therapist. Our guide to running form fixes that actually work covers what's worth changing and what isn't.

What the Research Says About Picking Running Shoes

The traditional store approach is built on one idea: figure out whether you overpronate (your foot rolls inward a lot) and match you to a stability or neutral shoe. It makes sense on paper. The research doesn't back it up as well as you'd think.

First, pronation itself isn't a bad thing. It's the natural inward movement of your foot as it absorbs force during a stride. Some pronation is normal, and the amount varies from runner to runner. The problem is assuming that more pronation automatically means a greater injury risk, or that a stability shoe is the solution.

Pronation didn't predict injuries in new runners. A Danish study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine followed 927 new runners for a full year. Every runner got the same neutral shoe, no matter how much they pronated. The runners who pronated weren't injured more often than anyone else. If anything, their injury rate per 1,000 km was lower.

Picking shoes by foot shape didn't reduce injuries. The U.S. Army studied this directly. In basic training, some recruits were assigned running shoes based on the shape of their arches, and others got a standard shoe. Matching shoes to foot shape didn't reduce injuries.

Comfort may be the best guide. In a 2015 review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, shoe researcher Benno Nigg and colleagues at the University of Calgary found no convincing evidence that pronation or impact forces could reliably predict running injuries. They proposed a different approach called the "comfort filter": rather than trying to correct how someone runs based on foot mechanics, let runners choose shoes that feel comfortable. Their theory is that runners naturally gravitate toward shoes that work with their preferred movement patterns. It's a proposed approach, not a proven guarantee against injury, but it matches what a lot of experienced runners figure out on their own.

None of this means stability shoes are bad. If a stability shoe feels best on your foot, wear it. It just means a quick look at your arch or your foot rolling in shouldn't be the main reason you buy a shoe. If you want to understand the categories, our guide to neutral, stability, and max cushion shoes breaks them down.

What Actually Helps You Find the Right Shoe

The best help I've ever gotten at a running store didn't come from anyone watching me jog. It came from employees who are serious runners themselves and asked good questions:

• What shoes have you been running in?
• What do you like about them, and what don't you like?
• What are you training for?
• How many miles a week are you running?
• Are you looking for a daily trainer, a workout shoe, or both?

That's how you find a good shoe. Your own history with shoes is the best data there is. If you loved how one shoe felt but it gave you a blister in the same spot every time, that tells a knowledgeable employee more than a 12-second jog ever could.

Then, comfort decides. Try a few options, and pick the one that feels best right away. Don't buy a shoe hoping it'll feel better after you break it in.

If you're building a rotation, how many shoes you need depends on your weekly mileage. Our shoe rotation guide covers when it makes sense, and our Shoe Finder can narrow your options before you go.

Getting Your Size Right

This is where I got burned, so I want to spend some time here.

A foot measurement is a starting point, not your size. That metal measuring device at the store measures the length of your foot, your arch length, and your width. It doesn't know how a specific shoe is shaped, how your toes are shaped, or what happens to your feet over 13.1 miles.

Your longest toe matters, not just your big toe. A common rule of thumb is to leave about a thumb's width of space between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. For a lot of runners, the longest toe isn't the big toe.

That was my problem. I have what's often called a Roman foot. My first few toes are all about the same length, instead of tapering down from the big toe. Most running shoes taper at the front. With a short shoe and toes that don't taper, my second and third toes were jammed right where the shoe narrows. That's exactly where my blisters were.

A wide shoe doesn't fix a length problem. The salesperson's theory was that I'd been wearing 14s for the width, so a 13 wide would fit better. But a wide shoe adds room across the foot, not at the end of it. My toes needed length. The 13 wides were the wrong fix for the wrong problem.

The sad part is, the shoes were a pair of New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainers. I think they were the v3. I would have loved them. They were fast and fun, and they hurt my toes so badly I couldn't keep running in them.

Many runners need more room in their running shoes. Feet can swell during longer runs, particularly in warm weather. Some runners find that going up a half size or even a full size from their everyday shoes gives them the room they need. But don't buy a bigger shoe just because someone tells you to. What matters is how the shoe fits when you're standing, moving, and running. Your longest toes should have enough room without your heel slipping or your foot sliding around. And if you've worn a size for years with no problems, take that seriously, even if a measurement says otherwise.

If you're already dealing with blisters, our guide on how to prevent running blisters covers what to do about them.

How to Get the Most Out of a Store Visit

Running stores are still one of the best places to buy shoes, because you can try them on. Here's how to make the visit count:

• Bring your current running shoes. The wear pattern and how they've broken down tell an employee a lot.
• Wear or bring your running socks. Sock thickness changes fit.
• Go later in the day. Your feet are a little bigger in the afternoon, closer to how they'll be on a run.
• Know what you like and don't like. Think about the shoes you've loved and hated, and why, before you go.
• Check the toe room yourself. Stand up and make sure there's about a thumb's width in front of your longest toe.
• Trust your history over a measurement. If you've worn a size your whole life without problems, be skeptical of anyone who says you're a full size off.
• Ask about the return policy. Many running stores will take shoes back if they don't work out after a few runs. Know the policy before you buy.
• Ask about their experience. There's nothing wrong with asking how long someone has worked there, what kind of running they do, or what they look for when fitting shoes. An employee who understands running and takes the time to ask about your experience can be a tremendous resource.

When to See a Professional Instead

If you're healthy and just need shoes, a good running store is plenty. But skip the store and see a professional, like a physical therapist who works with runners or a sports medicine doctor, if:

• You have pain that keeps coming back or doesn't go away with rest
• You keep getting the same injury
• You're coming back from an injury and want to avoid a repeat
• Something about how you run feels off and you don't know why

A real assessment looks at the whole picture: your strength, your mobility, your training, and your form. A new pair of shoes might be part of the answer, but it's rarely the whole thing.

FAQ

Do I need a gait analysis to buy running shoes? Most healthy runners don't. A running store fitting can help you narrow down options, but picking the shoe that feels most comfortable, with the right size and toe room, matters more. If you have recurring pain or injuries, see a physical therapist or sports medicine doctor for a real assessment.

Is a running store gait analysis accurate? It can spot obvious things, like a shoe that's too small or a foot that rolls in a lot. But a few seconds of jogging doesn't show how you run when you're tired, at your real paces, or over long distances. It's a fitting tool, not a clinical analysis.

Who does a real running gait analysis? Usually a physical therapist who specializes in runners, a sports medicine professional, or a biomechanics specialist. It typically looks at how you actually run, often with slow-motion video, plus your strength, mobility, and injury history. It doesn't require a lab or expensive equipment.

Can I check my running form with a phone video? Yes, for obvious things like overstriding. Film from the side and from behind in slow motion, ideally late in a run when you're tired. A video can show you what's happening, but not why, so take any concerns or pain to a physical therapist.

Do I need stability shoes if I overpronate? Not necessarily. Some pronation is normal, and research has found that pronation doesn't reliably predict injuries, and matching shoes to foot shape hasn't been shown to reduce them. If a stability shoe feels best, wear it. If a neutral shoe feels better, that's fine too.

Should running shoes be a size bigger? Some runners find that going up a half size or a full size from their everyday shoes gives them the room they need, since feet can swell on longer runs. But go by fit, not a rule: aim for about a thumb's width between your longest toe and the end of the shoe, without your heel slipping.

Can a wide shoe fix a shoe that feels too short? No. A wide shoe adds room across your foot, not at the end of it. If your toes are hitting the front of the shoe, you need more length.

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This article is for general information and isn't medical advice. If you have pain or a recurring injury, see a physical therapist or sports medicine doctor.

Sources

• Nielsen, R. O., et al. (2014). Foot pronation is not associated with increased injury risk in novice runners wearing a neutral shoe: a 1-year prospective cohort study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(6), 440–447.
• Knapik, J. J., et al. (2009). Injury reduction effectiveness of selecting running shoes based on plantar shape. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23(3), 685–697.
• Nigg, B. M., Baltich, J., Hoerzer, S., & Enders, H. (2015). Running shoes and running injuries: mythbusting and a proposal for two new paradigms: "preferred movement path" and "comfort filter." British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49(20), 1290–1294.

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